Parks, gardens, trails and waterfronts, plus outdoor events.
📍 Outer Richmond · San Francisco
Cliffside Coastal Trail in Golden Gate National Recreation Area, with Golden Gate views and the Sutro Baths ruins. The park charges no entrance fee here (per its fees page).
Details Official site ↗📍 Castro Valley · Inner East Bay
East Bay Regional Park District recreation area in Castro Valley with picnic areas, hiking on the Chabot-to-Garin Regional Trail corridor, and a swim complex currently closed until the 2027 season. Good for picnics and trail walks while swim facilities remain offline.
Details Official site ↗📍 Redwood City · Peninsula
467-acre San Mateo County natural preserve near I-280 and Edgewood Road with serpentine grasslands known for spring wildflowers, woodlands, and hiking and sightseeing trails.
Details Official site ↗📍 Hayward · Inner East Bay
Interpretive center on stilts above a salt marsh introducing San Francisco Bay Estuary ecology, with exhibits and programs. Adjoining Hayward Regional Shoreline offers nearly seven miles of diked Bay Trail through mudflats, salt marsh, grasslands, and salt ponds.
Details Official site ↗📍 Hayward · Inner East Bay
Wildlife education and rehabilitation facility in the Hayward Hills with outdoor bird and mammal enclosures, a discovery center featuring amphibians and reptiles, educational programs, and a wildlife hospital. Permitted through CA Fish & Wildlife, USFWS, and USDA.
Details Official site ↗📍 San Francisco
National recreation area spanning San Francisco shoreline and related sites. Official fees page confirms free entry at GGNRA locations other than Muir Woods, with separate ferry costs for Alcatraz and paid parking in some Presidio lots.
Details Official site ↗📍 San Francisco
Coastal trails at San Francisco's northwestern tip through cypress and eucalyptus with ocean and Golden Gate views, Sutro Baths ruins access, and historic overlooks including the USS San Francisco memorial. Part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Details Official site ↗📍 Stanford / Palo Alto · Silicon Valley North
Stanford-managed hillside open space popular for hiking and jogging around an active radio telescope site, with habitat conservation and environmental restoration. Public hours vary by month; coyote activity alerts may be posted.
Details Official site ↗📍 Berkeley · Oakland & Berkeley
Ninety-acre waterfront park on a former landfill with grassy fields, a 1.25-mile accessible Bay Trail loop, bay and bridge views, picnic tables, barbecue grills, an off-leash dog area, a solar calendar, and a wildlife area used by burrowing owls in winter.
Details Official site ↗📍 Pleasanton · Tri-Valley & Contra Costa
About 9,090 acres of oak-covered ridgeland overlooking Pleasanton and the Livermore Valley, with multi-use trails for hikers, equestrians, and bicyclists, canyon views, and ridgetop vistas. Tyler Ranch Staging Area adds substantial trail access.
Details Official site ↗📍 Calistoga / St. Helena · Sonoma & Napa
Napa Valley state park with coastal redwoods, Douglas-fir, tanoak, and madrone forests, 10+ miles of trails (including Ritchey Canyon Redwood Trail), picnic grounds, camping, historic cabins/yurts, visitor center, and Native American garden. Operated by Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District.
Details Official site ↗📍 Walnut Creek / Clayton · Tri-Valley & Contra Costa
State park centered on 3,849-foot Mount Diablo with summit observation deck, historic stone visitor center, Rock City formations, Mitchell Canyon trails, and extensive hiking, cycling, and equestrian routes. Famous long-distance summit views when conditions are clear.
Details Official site ↗📍 Berkeley · Oakland & Berkeley
Living museum with more than 34 acres, nine geographic plant regions, and over 10,000 kinds of plants. Weekend drop-in docent tours at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Redwood Grove and glass houses close earlier than the main garden.
Details Official site ↗📍 San Rafael · Marin & North Bay
1,514-acre park on San Pablo Bay with oak woodlands, over 100 acres of protected tidal salt marsh, fifteen miles of trails, historic China Camp Village museum, swimming, and picnic sites. Operated with Friends of China Camp support.
Details Official site ↗📍 Mill Valley · Marin & North Bay
National monument of old-growth coast redwoods in Marin County. Entrance fee plus required parking or shuttle reservation. America the Beautiful and other federal passes accepted for entrance; parking/shuttle reservation still required.
Details Official site ↗📍 Pleasanton · Tri-Valley & Contra Costa
Former gravel quarry turned 266-acre EBRPD park with an 80-acre lake, picnic grounds, fishing, electric-motor boating, interpretive pavilion (2022), and trails. Lake Trail partially closed due to terrain damage (notice dated November 3, 2026).
Details Official site ↗📍 San Mateo · Peninsula
San Mateo County regional recreation area with picnicking, swimming, windsurfing, bicycling, jogging, fishing, boating, Magic Mountain Playground, beach promenade, marina, and saltwater marsh for shorebird viewing near SFO flight paths.
Details Official site ↗📍 Woodside · Peninsula
Historic house and garden estate in Woodside about 25–30 minutes from San Francisco and San Jose. Self-guided visits typically about two hours; trails close 30 minutes before estate closing.
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